The Blueprint Part 1 By Tom Smith

Imagine a builder, who receives a blueprint and begins to build, but really doesn’t trust the blueprints and so he begins to add his own interpretations, instead of discussing his concerns with the architect. Once he has erred from the prints and started adding his own ideas, he will constantly have to find his own solutions to move forward, because the prints no longer support his work.

God gave us a blueprint to follow in the Bible. How are you reading your prints? There was a point in my life (a long point) that I was confused over the prints. Perhaps this is not quite right, I thought. How should I interpret this? Then enters confusion; maybe it’s like this? Or, perhaps more like that?

Prints may contain a lot of details; some more important than others. Some details can be quite difficult to understand. The Bible is no different. It is possible to get so focused on a detail that you get stuck and don’t know how to move on. Then it’s a good idea to take a step back to get an overview of God’s plan for mankind, and what is really God’s intention with us.

We will never be able to fully understand every single detail in the Bible, and still that is okay. The important part is to take what we understand and follow those instructions. There really is only one way to read the Bible and that is to believe in what it says. The moment that I begin to add my own ideas and question what it says, I begin to build my life on loose sand.

Through the Bible we learn to know God and who he is. The big questions of life are answered. Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? What happens after death?

I enjoyed watching the TV series, Lost, a number of years ago; about a plane that crashed on a beautiful island. The survivors had no idea where they were and to the outside world, the plane had simply vanished. This is really the story of our world. One day we come into this world; spend our lives without a clue as to what we are doing on a giant ball that spins at 1040 miles per hour around its own axis, while traveling in an orbit around the sun at 66 000 miles per hour. We grow old, if we are lucky, and then one day we return to the earth. Some of us think that it’s all a big cosmic accident, while others believe that there is something out there, but this something has not communicated its presence and existence to us. I know, I’ve asked myself the same questions: “What is real?”

After struggling with doubts, I finally made a decision. I chose to believe in God and in his word. The Bible is a book of faith. Many read it, yet miss its message because they seek to understand it through the wisdom of this world. Our minds can only conceive things that we can explain. Science looks for proof.

I would dare to say that there is proof of God and that the Bible is indeed his word, but here is where we meet another world which we can’t understand, nor explain, with our natural mind. We need something else to dive underneath the surface of the Bible and discover the treasures hidden therein. We need to take a leap of faith! That is where this journey begins, that will eventually open our eyes to a world far more wonderful and exciting than anything we could ever imagine. Suddenly the stories out of Hollywood seem written by tired old men without imagination, in comparison to the adventure we now find ourselves a part of.

Just as the builder need to speak directly with the architect about details he doesn’t understand, we need to speak to God about what we don’t understand in the Bible. When I began to ask God about what I did not understand, I was surprised that he answered. Who would imagine that God has time for me!

I have come to know God as my best friend. He has a completely different way of looking at us. God does not compare you and me to each other. He don’t need to. God loves you so much, that it is as if he forgets the rest of the world as he watches you. You are his precious creation that he is pursuing. He desires to wrap you up in his love.

God is so huge that he desires to fill everyone that receives him, with his own presence. The Bible tells me that as a believer in Jesus Christ, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Wow! No wonder that God is so eager for us to live our lives to please him. Religion can’t do in us what God desires to do. We are to live our lives in a close, intimate relationship with him. It is only then that we are truly alive, as we begin to discover the world around us through his presence in us.

The world teaches us that our value is based on:

Our ability to get things done. Our job performance.

How much money we have to spend, or how much we are willing to give away.

Knowledge.

How attractive we are. Especially ladies are judged on this scale.

What does God have to say about our way of placing a value on human life based on these criteria?

God places no value on your capabilities. He judges you based on your heart. God chooses the people that the world has rejected. He delights in doing extraordinary things through ordinary men and women. Remember Moses, who ran away from Egypt into the desert and was slow of speech. David was a shepherd boy and God made him a king. This pattern is clear through the Bible. God is not into the talent show business. He seeks hearts that love him. He desires to do something great through you. It is not we that do something great for God. It is God that does great things through us, if we allow him.

How much money you have is not important to God. You can’t buy God, even if you were to give away all your money to church, or for a good cause. In God’s eyes, your value will always be based on your heart. “Do you love me?” he asks.

This is what God has to say about our knowledge:

Isaiah 55:8-9:For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord.As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts.

God desires that we seek his wisdom and knowledge. He is eager to give to those that ask.

You are beautiful in God’s eyes. You are his treasure! Here is where I like the comparison to driftwood. They’ve been through a lot; weather, wind, stormy seas and who knows what. To some, these odd pieces of cracked and weathered wood are nothing more than trash on the beach. Others see the potential and beauty hidden inside. That is how God looks at you. He has placed a treasure in you and his heart aches to bring out the beauty that he has hidden inside of you.

It is sad that the Bible sometimes has been used to push people down. People with their own agendas have used the Bible to support their teachings; whether to promote hate against certain groups or for their own greed. They are not representing the Living God, who came to die for us through Jesus Christ, so that all who believe in him will have eternal life.

Through the Bible we learn that we all are sinners in need of forgiveness. We are quick to point fingers at others, but so often can’t see our own sins. The Bible makes it very clear what is displeasing to God, but God is not asking us to clean up our act and then come to him. No, he invites us just as we are. No strings attached. As we surrender our will to his and mature in this relationship, his love will change our hearts to overcome addictions and sin that we had no power, or will, to overcome before.

It is very important that you understand that you come to Jesus just as you are. Don’t try to become a better person so that he will accept you. Run to him as fast as you can and let him hold you.

By inviting Jesus Christ into our hearts, we become a new creation in him. We are now children of God, made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ.